International law handbook

Replacement of the President or a Vice-President
rule 13
If the President or any Vice-President ceases to be able to carry out his/her functions or ceases 
to be a representative of a member of the Council, or if the Member of the United Nations of which 
he/she is a representative ceases to be a member of the Council, he/she shall cease to hold such office 
and a new President or Vice-President shall be elected for the unexpired term.

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Human Rights Council: Institution-building
561
SecreTAriAT
Duties of the secretariat
rule 14 [47]
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights shall act as secre-
tariat for the Council. In this regard, it shall receive, translate, print and circulate in all official 
United Nations languages, documents, reports and resolutions of the Council, its committees and 
its organs; interpret speeches made at the meetings; prepare, print and circulate the records of the 
session; have the custody and proper preservation of the documents in the archives of the Council; 
distribute all documents of the Council to the members of the Council and observers and, generally, 
perform all other support functions which the Council may require.
recordS And rePorT
Report to the General Assembly
rule 15
The Council shall submit an annual report to the General Assembly.
PuBlic And PrivATe meeTingS of The humAn righTS council
General principles
rule 16 [60]
The meetings of the Council shall be held in public unless the Council decides that exceptional 
circumstances require the meeting be held in private.
Private meetings
rule 17 [61]
All decisions of the Council taken at a private meeting shall be announced at an early public 
meeting of the Council.
conducT of BuSineSS
Working groups and other arrangements
rule 18
The Council may set up working groups and other arrangements. Participation in these bodies 
shall be decided upon by the members, based on rule 7. The rules of procedure of these bodies shall 
follow those of the Council, as applicable, unless decided otherwise by the Council.
Quorum
rule 19 [67]
The President may declare a meeting open and permit the debate to proceed when at least one 
third of the members of the Council are present. The presence of a majority of the members shall be 
required for any decision to be taken.
Majority required
rule 20 [125]
Decisions of the Council shall be made by a simple majority of the members present and vot-
ing, subject to rule 19.
[appendices I and II not published herein.]

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562
 
VIII. International human rights law
50. strengtHenIng anD enHanCIng tHe effeCtIVe funCtIonIng of
tHe Human rIgHts treatY boDY sYstem
general assembly resolution 68/268 of 9 april 2014
The General Assembly
,
Reaffirming
the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and recalling 
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and relevant international human rights instruments,
Underlining
the obligation that States have to promote and protect human rights and to carry 
out the responsibilities that they have undertaken under international law, especially the Charter, as 
well as various international instruments in the field of human rights, including under international 
human rights treaties,
Recalling
Economic and Social Council resolution 1985/17 of 28 May 1985,
Recalling also
its resolution 66/254 of 23 February 2012, by which it launched the intergovern-
mental process of the General Assembly on strengthening and enhancing the effective functioning 
of the human rights treaty body system, and its resolutions 66/295 of 17 September 2012 and 68/2 of 
20 September 2013, by which it extended the intergovernmental process,